Results from the Southern Illinois Inter-school Tournament

Students from four area Taekwondo schools gathered to compete against each other. Participating schools were: Carmi Taekwondo Center (CTC), Olney Taekwondo Center (OTC), Wabash Valley Taekwondo (WVT), and Lakeland College Taekwondo (LLCTKD). The tournament was hosted by Olney Taekwondo center at St. Joseph Catholic School in ...

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The Carmi Times - Carmi, IL

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Posted Apr. 5, 2013 at 5:30 PM

Posted Apr. 5, 2013 at 5:30 PM

Students from four area Taekwondo schools gathered to compete against each other. Participating schools were: Carmi Taekwondo Center (CTC), Olney Taekwondo Center (OTC), Wabash Valley Taekwondo (WVT), and Lakeland College Taekwondo (LLCTKD). The tournament was hosted by Olney Taekwondo center at St. Joseph Catholic School in Olney, IL. Events started at 9 a.m. and concluded around 2 p.m. There divisions ranging from white belts to black belts.

Berekashvili, Katherine Woodard, Johnathan Woodard and Mills all placed in their respective weapons divisions. Berekashvili took first place in the junior division. Katherine Woodard earned third place while Mills claimed second place and Johnathan Woodard brought home first place (after winning a tie breaker) in the teen/adult division.

Myatt and Brown competed in the 4-6 year old division. Myatt claimed third while Brown earned first.

Nathan Richards placed second in Forms (after dropping a tie breaker) and first in One-step sparring in the seven & under beginner division while Nickolas Richards earned a fourth place competitor trophy in the 8-11 year old beginner division.

Berekashvili and Johnathan Woodard earned trophies in their respective divisions. Berekashvili earned first in Forms and second in Sparring in the 10-11 year old intermediate/advanced division while Johnathan Woodard claimed second in both Forms and Sparring in the 12-15 year old intermediate/advanced division.

Katherine Woodard and Mills competed in the teen/adult women’s advanced division. Woodard took top honors earning first place in Forms and Sparring while Mills brought home second place in Forms and Sparring.

Jackson, Murphy & Marx all earned trophies in the men’s Black Belt division. Jackson brought home a fourth place competitor trophy while Murphy placed third in both Forms and Sparring. Marx took top honors claiming first in both Forms and Sparring.

The instructors classify this competition as a platform to region, national, and international tournaments. The goal is to get our students interested in competitions, while at the same time gradually introducing them to the world of Taekwondo tournaments. The average regional tournament has between 400-700 competitors. It can be a very nervous time when one walks into their first competition and sees so many people. This tournament allowed the students to get rid of some of those nerves in preparation to joining the regional tournament circuit.

American Taekwondo Association tournaments are controlled competitive environments that allow practitioners to display and improve their skills in a safe environment. Although some may think it is all about "who is better", that is only a part of their purpose in Songahm Taekwondo.

Page 2 of 2 - Tournaments are not just for a trophy. They allow members to meet new people, make new friends, put nerves to the test, and display skills. By focusing on these purposes, it is very possible to be happy whether one wins or loses.